1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an artificial reef and more particularly to a versatile artificial reef which will prevent erosion from beaches and shorelines and adequately and efficiently promote marine growth and provide protection and shelter for marine life, principally large fish, lobsters, shrimp, and the like, thereby providing for a balanced reef ecological system for rendering a full spectrum of marine life development. The present invention also provides a means of fabricating a versatile structure which can be used as an artificial reef in fresh or salt water and can be used as barriers in various applications, such as military use, beach and sand dune restoration, when the structure is located above water and on ground.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As is known, through man's abuse and through natural disasters, a significant amount of erosion has occurred among the beaches' natural reef system. These reef systems protect beaches and shorelines from devastating erosion and land loss, act as nurseries for growing fish and provide a critical source of food and income for millions of individuals throughout the world.
As such, several State and Federal funded programs have been initiated to save and inherently increase the reefs' system. One well known program is to sink retired ships or large transport ships into the ocean for consequently forming larger man-made reefs. Though successful, this means of forming a reef tends to be inefficient and very costly and is not performed as frequently as is necessary. As such, other reef systems, on a smaller scale, have been developed for allowing economical installation on a more frequent basis. Unfortunately, these smaller scaled man-made reefs tend to lack structural stability, thus some structures may be destroyed during deployment or may be destroyed upon contact with the underwater surface. Structural stability problems are not only associated with deployment, but also occur with strong sea currents, whether associated with large weather systems or just strong tidal currents. In these situations, the water flow forces the structure to roll and travel along the bottom of the ocean. This type of movement can and has demolished and shattered the smaller scaled man-made reefs, defeating its intended purpose.
Many other types and configurations of smaller scale reef systems have been developed to promote marine life and to prevent erosion. One such device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,369 issued to Barber et al. In this patent there is disclosed a circular reef system having a plurality of orifices extending therethrough. Though this system may be successful for a short time, it is questionable as to this system's longevity and stability. The round, circular shape appears to be of a shape which will and can promote movement with a natural current or even a tidal currents generally associated with normal current flow. Movement may cause destruction of the artificial reef, consequently defeating its intended purpose.
Yet another artificial reef is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,526 issued to Waters. In this patent there is disclosed an erosion protection unit having a tetrahedral frame comprising six outer elongated members arranged in outline of a tetrahedron, and a triaxial central strut arrangement. Although this device may promote marine growth, this device fails to offer the needed housing and protection necessary to sustain marine life. In addition, this concrete structure is not supported with the use of steel, and as such, may erode in time.
Accordingly, it is seen that none of these previous efforts provide the benefits intended with the present invention. Specifically in providing a system which will adequately and successful promote marine growth, offer shelter to marine life, inhibit erosion of beach and shore lines while being economically feasible and long lasting. Additionally, prior techniques do not suggest the present inventive combination of component elements as disclosed and claimed herein. The present invention achieves its intended purposes, objectives and advantages over the prior art devices through a new, useful and unobvious combination of component elements, which is simple to use, with the utilization of a minimum number of functioning parts, at a reasonable cost to manufacture, assemble, test and by employing only readily available materials.